No, this is not one of those “Best Customer Service in America” lists. Well, not officially. I have no actual data to back up the claims I’m making here. I’ve surveyed no one and have crunched no numbers. But since it’s Friday and I feel like spreading some good Internet karma, I thought I’d do a little write-up of some of the companies which have provided me with great customer service in the past.
Based on a very small sample of customers (this one!) these companies provide outstanding customer service:
Citibank
I have a Citi Dividend card – which I’ve had since I was 19 – and I have had nothing but positive interactions with Citibank over the course of the past 8 years. Seriously. For example: I had some weird charges show up on my card last weekend from a company that did not get my authorization between to renew some magazine subscriptions for another year. When I had no luck with the company, I called Citi and they removed the charges within 48 hours. No questions asked. And they are always polite and friendly, which is always pleasant.
Zappos:
Another company that is always polite and friendly and will solve any issue you have with their merchandise in a jiffy. I ordered a pair of sneakers for my boyfriend in his usual size but they ended up being too small; I contacted Zappos and they shipped the new size right away, for free, before they even received the too-small pair. No hassle whatsoever. No hassle = happy customer.
I’ve had a checking account with PNC for almost 10 years. In that time they have expanded quite a bit, but customer service has remained impecible. A couple of years ago I had a major fiasco (Amazon accidentally double charged me for an expensive purchase at the same time that a bunch of bills were being auto-paid) that resulted in a few hundred dollars worth of overdraft fees. When I explained the problem, PNC refunded every single fee. Also, they have great hours.
I don’t think this is a big surprise, but Nordstrom’s customer service has always been superior. Another free shipping, free returns company, Nordstrom’s workers are also always professional and friendly. More than that, though, they also really go out of their way to make sure you’re happy and give helpful advice (like, actually helpful, not “buy more!” helpful) about the things you’re considering purchasing. In other words, it’s always a pleasure shopping there, online or in stores.
Where have you gotten great customer service recently?
